After putting in a tidy display at Priestfield Abeid, who could be on the bench against Crystal Palace, said he is hungry to play on the bigger stage.

He said: “The Premier League is a big league in the world. Playing at that level will be great for me.

“I hope in the future to be playing in the Premier League.”

Abeid had not appeared for the Magpies since January 2013, when the club crashed out of the FA Cup at the third round stage against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on a bad day for Pardew. Many observers also felt it meant the end for midfield man Abeid.

He was sent to St Johnstone for a loan stint in the Scottish Premier League and then spent last season at Panathinaikos in the Greek Super League.

There he impressed so much that the Greek side wanted to retain him but they couldn’t afford to buy the player.

Having worked on his game and his physique, Abeid has returned to United with the right build to survive in the Premier League.

He said: “I am happy to be back and to be here. I enjoy my time here. It is a big team, I want to learn and improve and with work in football you can get everything.

“I will keep working to show the coach I can be a solution for him.”

But he said he would always be grateful to Panathinaikos for the loan stint after working under their technical area and ex-Toon star Nikos Dabizas.

Abeid said: “I really learned a lot there. I played a lot, I wanted to play in my time there and that’s what I did. Now I want to pass another level.